Pages From The Past
1937
l RAF Cranwell were to take on Northampton Nomads at home in the Central Amateur League after beating Magdala Amateurs 2-0 in the FA Amateur Cup.
l Two men driving a lorry all the way from Newcastle in dense fog mistook a lay-by at the Oat Sheaf Inn, East Heckington for a turn in the road and drove into a house, damaging the lower part. The occupants and the two men had a miraculous escape.
l RAF Cranwell rugby team drew with Derby 8-8. It was a fair reflection of the play as Derby took advantage in the scrums in the first half and twice crossed the line, but after the interval Cranwell showed great improvement and scored two tries and one conversion.
l Magistrates fined 14 Sleaford residents 5s each within a week for failing to stop at ‘Halt’ signs on a bicycle. Police had taken action because cyclists persisted in ignoring the signs in town and future cases would be dealt with more severely.
l A public demonstration of the RAF’s firefighting methods and equipment was given at RAF Cranwell. This included a specially designed fire tender for combating aircraft on fire on the ground and rescuing occupants. They also tested new asbestos protective suits by walking into the flames and pulling out dummy casualties while foam extinguishers put out the flames in seconds.
1963
l A Sleaford bridegroom who had been married that day was found brawling in Southgate, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. They were dragged apart and taken to the police station and claimed they were messing about, but were each fined £2.
l Sleaford magistrates fined a man from Digby and another from Walcott £3 each, plus compensation, for wilful damage of a shop front plus another £1 fine for damaging a nylon stocking vending machine and a chocolate vending machine. They also kicked a Belisha beacon down the street on a Saturday night out.
l Star of film, TV and stage, Eunice Gayson was among the celebrities who visited the Carlight Trailers of Sleaford stand at the International Caravan Show and sat in one of their caravans.
l A local benefactor made an offer to East Kesteven Rural District Council to prevent the Digby lock-up from being demolished.
l Sixer Mark Wallington, 11 year old son of Mr and Mrs Keith Wallington of Sleaford, held the record for being the only Sleaford Cub Scout to win all the possible badges on offer, a total of 16 badges ranging from first aid to swimming, artist and signals.
1987
l Maureen Gallagher of Sleaford was swept off her feet when colleagues at the British Show Factory organised a Tarzan-o-gram for her retirement. The training instructor was leaving after 17 years with the company.
l Staff at Lattimer’s restaurant and Appetites sandwich bar watched helplessly as a lorry careered towards them out of Watergate into Southgate. The driver failed to make the turn, smashing the hanging sign off the shop front and cutting the electricity but didn’t stop. It was cited as another example of why Sleaford should have a bypass.
l Proposals to build nearly 200 houses in Billinghay were welcomed by residents as a new lease of life to the area. Three main areas for building were earmarked - east of Princess Square, north of Walcott Road and to the east of St Michael’s Close.
l Villagers in Billingborough looked set to get a new police office as part of a policy to replace the old police houses. The proposed site would be in the council car park between High Street and West Road.
l Sleaford’s leading businessmen were on hand to launch a new fax transmission service in town. It had been set up at the Josie Turner Secretarial Agency in Southgate Shopping Precinct and would allow documents to be sent over a telephone line anywhere in the world and reproduced in perfect detail at the other end.
l Villagers around Sleaford area were to join town residents in benefitting from lower nitrate levels in their water. Anglian Water agreed to mix water from the Clay Hill bore hole with the old Drove Lane bore hole as nitrate levels were almost double the EEC regulated maximum at the Drove. Nitrates were being linked with stomach cancer and blue baby syndrome caused by use of nitrates in fertiliser.
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Weather for Sleaford
Thursday 23 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 5 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 4 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 30 mph
Wind direction: North east
